Random Stuff...

Well, I’ve had my hours bumped up a bit at work recently, hence the lack of posting. As far as I know, it won’t last long term, so I hope to get some more stuff up here soon. Once I get the hang of the routine, I’ll be able to post a bit again… Till then, some random thoughts… Pluto is no longer a planet, and our solar system now has only 8 planets – not the 9 we all learned about in school. I think this is all a plot to sell more encyclopedias. Does anyone buy them anymore, really? They had to force some new sales, so they came up with messing with the solar system. Bravo. And isn’t calling Pluto a ‘dwarf planet’ splitting hairs? I guess size does matter. And besides, don’t scientists have more important things to do than discuss what makes a ‘planet’ and what makes a ‘dwarf planet’? Come on people – a Smart Car is really a ‘dwarf car’, but its still a car. Oops – wait till they get a hold of that thought…more encyclopedia rewriting… With my extra work going on, I decided to give myself a bonus and stopped by the local comic book / hobby shop. Hadn’t been in there in a while, and they’ve realigned it a bit. Less comics, more…other stuff. Anyway, they still had comics so I took a look through them. Bought a couple old Wolverine issues, and found the Identity Crisis, softcover TPB for 15 bucks. Have been wanting to read that one since it came out and created all kinds of discussion on the ‘net. I read about half of it when I got home, and its as good as they say. How far would you go to protect or avenge the ones you love if you had the power? It’s a different kind of story for the spandex set of superheroes. Then, I saw The Punisher: The Tyger #1 comic of the Max line. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Garth Ennis’ run on the Punisher under the MAX brand (meaning not for kids). I hummed and hawed about it, then decided why not? I could see if I liked the writing, then decide if I wanted to go after the collected TPB’s. I shouldn’t have doubted it. After all, I thought Garth Ennis’ Punisher graphic novel Born was one of the best I’ve read, and this comic is more of the same. Fantastic art that fits the mood of the story and a great read; a story that makes you think a bit. Referencing William Blake’s poem “The Tyger” ---- “Tyger, Tyger, burning bright, in the forests of the night – What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?” The line from the poem “Did He who made the lamb…make thee?” plays an important part in the story. Two characters in the story – Father David, who reads the poem to a class, and Frank Castle (as a kid) take it two completely different ways. What Frank then later witnesses as a kid is a stepping stone on a dark path that would lead to what plays out in Vietnam in the novel Born and of course the tragic last straw turning point of what happens to him and his family in the park, all turning him into The Punisher, who in Frank’s mind, is ultimately his take on the Tyger. I haven’t read the complete line of course, but from the stories I’ve read, Garth Ennis has taken what was kind of a goon of a character and turned him into a complex character study of human extremes. Excellent writing, glad I picked it up. Think I’ll have to start saving my pennies for the TPB’s… After I got home and looked up from my reading, I realized three hours had gone by, and it was far more enjoyable and thought provoking than anything on TV…